Heartbreaking news about Celine Dion‘s husband, René Angélil, 79, who has died on Jan. 14 after battling throat cancer.

“Rene Angelil, 73, passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer,” the rep said in a statement. “The family requests that their privacy be respected at the moment.”

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer posted a tweet to her fans about her husband’s death.

Rene Angelil passed away this morning at his home in Las Vegas after a long and courageous battle against cancer. https://t.co/JOeLaOfbSB

“We have asked [doctors] many times, how long does he have, three weeks, three months? Rene wants to know,” Celine told USA TODAY in August last year. “But they say they don’t know.”

Star told you earlier this month that a team of people were taking care of Rene, who was unable to speak, had difficulty hearing, and was fitted with a feeding tube.

“All they can do is surround him with love and light until the very end,” a friend of Celine’s revealed to Star on Jan. 2.

René, who managed and helped Celine launch her career, was first diagnosed with cancer in 1998. He underwent 38 rounds of radiation and had a short stint of remission, but the cancer returned with a vengeance in 2014.

René and Celine, 47, share three children — René-Charles, 14, and 5-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy —plus his older children from a previous relationship, Anne-Marie, Patrick and Jean-Pierre.